‘Tis the season. Not the one people usually associate with that phrase, though I’m sure stores will be shoving that down our throats soon enough. The season I speak of is the one for witches. The one for pumpkins, black cats, and Bradbury weather. The air is cooler; the clouds look different. Even the moon is brighter. It’s the Halloween season, and even though we’re more than a month away, and decorations are already up in the grocery and pharmacy aisles, I don’t mind. Maybe it’s because I love all things pumpkin – from pastries to beer – more than I like gingerbread. Or maybe it’s just because Halloween is my thing. My favorite banned book is a collection of ghost stories. I crave pumpkin seeds at odd times of the year. I think about Halloween costumes far more often than I think about Christmas presents. It’s what I do.

My story, For the Removal of Unwanted Guests is and is not based on a house in my neighborhood. The house, one street up from mine, has garnered the nickname of ‘The Witch House’ because it is a lovely, rambling thing with a pentagram shaped window. So I wrote a story about a house that should have a witch in it, which is and isn’t about that house, and I hope the occupants of said house, who may or may not be witches, will forgive me. Some stories, like some houses, should have a witch in them.

My story aside, the anthology is full of fantastic authors spinning seasonal tales of ghosts and witches and pumpkins and all things Halloween. Why wouldn’t you want a copy? If your book budget for the month is running low, you can enter to win a copy here.

The season is just beginning, but I’m already in the holiday mood. So tell me… What are your favorite ghost stories? What are you dressing up as this year? What are your favorite pumpkin-based recipes? What’s your favorite seasonal beer? How do you plan to celebrate Halloween?